The crop gathering reels of harvesting machines are typically provided with pointed tines that engage and rake standing crop material rearwardly into the sickle or other cut off mechanism of the machine as the reel rotates and the machine advances through the field. Such tines are usually attached to transverse support members that extend along the length of the reel and oscillate about their longitudinal axes during reel rotation to place the tines in their optimum angle or attitudes as they sweep through the crop.
It is known in the art to make such tines entirely, or almost entirely, out of synthetic resinous material. However, in many instances, such plastic tines are still attached to their support members using metal fasteners such as screws. Fastening tines to the reel using screws can take considerable time and effort. Moreover, it may be difficult to find an appropriate standard size screw due to the substantial length and relatively small diameter required for the screw. Another problem is under or over tightening the screw during installation. And there is always the possibility of breaking the tine during the installation efforts.
The present invention provides a tine of at least predominantly synthetic resinous material that can be quickly and easily installed on or removed from the reel without the use of auxiliary threaded fasteners such as screws or the like. In one form of the invention the tine has a generally C-shaped mounting base that receives and embraces the backside of the reel support member, while a generally C-shaped, oppositely oriented clip receives and embraces the front side of the support member. One end of the clip is attached to the base of the tine in such a manner that the clip can swing or flex toward and away from the base, while the opposite end of the clip is provided with suitable locking structure that releasably engages and interlocks with corresponding structure on the mounting base. A guard on the mounting base overlies and protects the locking end of the clip when the clip is securely locked so as to prevent accidental unlocking of the clip during field operations as crop materials and other residue might otherwise tend to force the clip open.
The clip is preferably hingedly secured to the mounting base through either an integral connection with the base or other suitable hinge structure, in which latter case the clip would be a separate component from the tine body itself. In both types of connections, the mounting base is designed in such a manner that, in the event the clip is detached from the tine or otherwise unavailable, the tine may be temporarily secured to the support member using a threaded fastener.